International Day to End Violence Against Women 2017

November 25 marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Today also marks the beginning of UN Women‘s #16days of activism campaign which aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

Beginning today, WWDA will be joining the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign to encourage action and investment in the elimination of all form of violence against all women. We will be calling specifically on the Australian Government to enact a range of recommendations to end the scourge of violence against women and girls with disability.

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today. Women and girls with disability continue to disproportionately experience violence across a range of settings.

DAY 2

Learning about our human rights is an important way that everyone can contribute to addressing and calling out gendered violence.WWDA has developed a range of resources to support women and girls with disability learn more about, and act on, their rights. Visit http://wwda.org.au/toolkit/ or http://youth.wwda.org.au/workbook/ for more info!

UN Women‘s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

DAY 3

Noticing, supporting and encouraging our friends and family who have, or may be experiencing violence, is a simple way we can all contribute to addressing gender based violence.

If you, or someone you know is experiencing violence, help is available. 1800RESPECT is the national violence counseling service. Call 1800 737 732 or visit https://www.1800respect.org.au

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UN Women’s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

DAY 4

Women and girls with disability are disproportionately affected by violence. We must be meaningfully and authentically included in all efforts to end gender based violence.

If you, or someone you know is experiencing violence, help is available. 1800RESPECT is the national violence counseling service. Call 1800 737 732 or visit https://www.1800respect.org.au

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UN Women’s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

DAY 5

International human rights treaties and reviews can hold States to account for their actions and inaction on issues like gender based violence. Meaningfully engaging with these processes means genuinely listening to, and acting on human rights bodies’ recommendations for change.

Contact and encourage your local Councillors, MPs and Senators to act on UN recommendations. We’ve included some sample letters and tips in our Human Rights Toolkit, available at: http://wwda.org.au/papers/toolkit/download/

DAY 6

@UN Women’s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

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If you, or someone you know is experiencing violence, help is available. @1800RESPECT is the national violence counselling service. Call 1800 737 732 or visit https://www.1800respect.org.au

Everyone can contribute to ending gender based violence by promoting and talking about the human rights of all people, including women and girls with disability.

Women and girls with disability face a range of threats to their rights, including their sexual and reproductive rights. Without action by Government, policy makers, and communities, violations of these rights will continue.

DAY 7

Women and girls with disability continue to be discriminated against in many areas of their lives. Discrimination is both a cause and form of violence against women.

As a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Australia has committed to eliminating discrimination against women.

You can help by getting involved in campaigns, sharing your experiences and encouraging Governments to ensure women and girls with disability have equal enjoyment of their human rights, including access to services and supports, on an equal basis with others.

UN Women‘s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

DAY 8

DAY 9

If you, or someone you know is experiencing violence, help is available. 1800RESPECT is the national violence counselling service. Call 1800 737 732 or visit https://www.1800respect.org.auToday is International Day of People with Disability.

It is a day to celebrate the change that people with disability around the world have brought about, and to remember the many people with disability over the years who have paved the way for us to continue our fight for rights, including our fundamental right to live free of all forms of violence.

UN Women‘s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

DAY 10

Ending gender based violence in Australia requires quality research into the issues and nationally consistent data collection that can accurately describe the rates and forms of violence that women and girls with disability experience.

Without urgent funding for research and data collection, led by women and girls with disability, many of our experiences of violence and abuse will continue to go unnoticed and unaddressed.

UN Women‘s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

DAY 11

Women and girls with disability are disproportionately affected by violence, and yet many violence services remain inaccessible.

Ensuring that violence prevention and response services are fully accessible and responsive to the issues and forms of violence women and girls with disability experience, must be a priority of Government and the violence sector.

UN Women‘s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

DAY 12

Accessible education and resources are fundamental to addressing and ending gender based violence. Understanding what constitutes violence, and the particular forms of violence that women and girls with disability experience, remains a significant gap.

Governments must urgently prioritise funding for accessible education and development of resources by people with disability, for people with disability.

UN Women‘s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

DAY 13

Australia remains the only Western democracy without a national Human Rights Act or bill of rights, despite multiple recommendations from United Nations treaty bodies.Ending and preventing gender based violence requires strong, consistent and enforceable human rights legislation, in additions to resources and programs that can effectively address the issues.

UN Women‘s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

DAY 16

Women and girls with disability have a fundamental right to access justice and to be treated as equal before the law. Often women and girls who experience violence are not believed, and have difficulty accessing support when engaging with the justice system.

UN Women‘s #16days of activism campaign aims to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.